Film Reviews by tm

this surprisingly modern film is a direct and frank study of the flip side of the emancipated woman of the 20's. It sheds light on the price women paid for social and sexual freedom, and reveals the Weimar Republic (which in turn brought about the birth of the Nazi party) as a festering sewer for the blatant abuse of wealth and power.

there is at the centre of this film, a hypnotic performance by Louise Brooks, who is alluring, tender, witty and callous. a complex character realised by an extraordinary actor.

a dark film worth watching and another landmark of the silent era..

by the way, what is a menorah doing in one of the early scenes: is it a subtle anti-Semitic product placement?

I loved this gentle film which ambles through a few weeks in the life of a primary school in Canada, exploring loss, anger, grief, prejudice, fear, the price of secrecy but ultimately comes settles on the power of human kindness.

heart warming and believable

This is a very special film. It is a horror film in that there are many horror elements in it but it is also a very period exploration of sexuality, male fears about sexual vulnerability and female power.

Alternatively you could see it as a sort of psychosexual version of the noir genre.

The psychology is very dated and the reliance on pot boiler Freudianism is thick and gooey but there are so many interesting myths and ideas, so many quirky insights and observations and most of all such a unique central theme that this remains a must see film for anyone who wants to survey the landmarks of cinema.

Dated yes, but not so as it would spoil the experience of watching it.

funny in parts, quirky and, if you had never seen Tony Hancock, Monty python or Michael Bentine, or countless French, Spanish or Italian surrealist, existential sketches, then you would be impressed.

as it is, it is passé, slow, derivative, dull and ultimately boring.

I wonder what kind of critic could be impressed by this?

mostly in black and white, in German French and English with a tiny cast of mesmerising and memorable characters drifting in and out of focus of an ethereal observe who himself desperately wants to be involved.

what is it to be vulnerable?

what is it to really allow yourself to feel?

is the joy worth the pain?

do we dare?

these are the questions asked by one of the most moving films I have ever seen.

if you like sitting on a deserted beach, staring out to sea, alone and quietly, then this is the film for you.

warning:

I suspect you do have to be in the mood for this film which, on a rushed day or squeezed in between events on a cold night, might seem a challenge to ones patience.

overlong and safer than "the birth of a nation" but far less important, less well structured, stunning at times, elegiac, beautiful, scatty, a little untidy at times, growing steadily tedious and repetitive. a heroic but not majestic attempt at grandeur.

worth watching the first hour or so; it is a landmark. after that I stayed on out of a sense of duty and not wanting to miss out in a legend; but the legend was elsewhere. although Birth of a Nation is hugely challenging, and politically incorrect work of art, it is a a work of art: no question. poisonous, divisive, evil; but that is far greater work. watch that instead and weep in rage, sorrow and embarrassment.

this film is worrying in that I suspect it could feed the prejudices of the far right, encourage bigotry and promote racism.

all true. but unlike so much other propaganda, (and much of this is based on a frankly racist polemic promoting the Klu Klux Klan), it is executed with style, artistry and and great originality.

it is hard to deal with the truth that this is a masterpiece by a nasty or deeply misguided man.

the story is told in an unusually studied manner for a Michael Winner film. Plotted and nuanced in a way that allows the viewer to enjoy the evolving relationship central to the film without dropping the pace or the excitement at any time, delivering a tightly structured and watchable film that wears its age well.

Bronson is majestic in a role perfectly suited to his persona as a brilliant, methodical, ruthless and yet reflective killer.

not to be confused with the dreadful remake. this is a sharply observed and well executed masterpiece by Robert Wise (who also did the sand pebbles, the curse of the cat people, west side story and many other greats.)

Michael Rennie is excellent as the detached and somewhat bemused alien, Patricia Neal captures the complexity of a strong and sensitive woman torn between trusting her own judgement and following the mood of those around her. The supporting cast ar solid in depicting th evolatility of the public mood, fickle, paranoid, excitable, irrational and easily led.

the plot is simple and direct and explores mankind's propensity for violence and indifference to the world 8that nurtures him. many of the motifs anticipate so many later concerns with the environment, democracy and the abuse of the truth by the media and governments.

A must watch IF you like science fiction.

an immense performance by Kilmer as Morrison in this film which is more than just a biopic. It explores the central paradox of creative art when that creativity drives an equally powerful destructive force through the lives of the artist and everyone around him.

Kilmer is simply amazing in this as an actor but his delivery as a singer is quite astounding; apparently some of the old members of the Doors struggled to tell him apart from the original (hard as it is to imagine anyone mimicking Morrison's so distinctive timbre and delivery).

on the flip side this is a haunting film that has ruined our sleep since, echoes of the pain it portrays returning nightly since we saw ; so maybe not a good film to curl up and watch on a tired Friday evening!

but if you want to be enveloped in the whole mystique of the doors, to be swallowed whole by the music and charisma and to be enchanted by the poetry of Morrison, then this is a must watch.

it is interesting that while music critics loved the film (Rolling Stone gave the film 4/4), the cineastes largely thought it was an unfair and cliched biopic; i guess they didn't understand. Maybe you have to be a Rock fan to understand why the movie is what it is.

this was a pretty professional if pedestrian comic book delivery.

ok; fun to watch but forgettable.

I am trying to think why as the action sequences are OK, the set pieces work and the characters are watchable.

maybe that is the problem; nothing really stands out, the script is mechanical and the slickness rides rough shod over the drama to an extent that leaves the viewer feeling they are just going through some formulaic spin off; which of course is what it is. an idea without a heart.

so if you need you star wars fix, maybe watch the empire strikes back again.

a very arthouse updating of the Jesus myth with nuanced script which explores myriad themes from the gospels. it is not dated and remains vibrant and powerful.

a stark and uncomfortable tale told with elegance and occasional wit.

compared to other Kurosawa films, this is clunky, laboured and overlong. it is still worth a shout but there is a lot of repetition and certainly not as subtle as Ozu or Kurosawa's own later films. indeed Rashomon which was made earlier s a much better film, exploring more complex social challenges and the meaning of truth with wit and powerful imagery whereas this seems like the child of a bad experience with the local authority over planning permission. while we would all sympathise with impact of bureaucracy, it's just too crude a telling.

the main leads are both brilliant.